Zoho Corporation’s co-founder and Chief Scientist, Sridhar Vembu, has issued a new warning to users of Arattai. The company’s ambitious WhatsApp rival, which has been the talk of the town lately, is poised to get an update that introduces end-to-end (E2E) encryption for text messages. In an interview with ANI, Vembu highlighted the complexities involved particularly around encrypted data backups that could lead to irreversible chat losses.
This announcement comes at a time when Arattai has been witnessing a downfall in its ranks on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, losing out advantage to apps like Telegram and WhatsApp. Arattai launched as a privacy-focused messaging app, already boasting E2E encryption for voice and video calls. However, its absence for text chats has drawn criticism, thus positioning it behind established players that have offered this gold-standard security feature for years.
Sridhar Vembu speaks out on E2E encryption for Arattai
In the interview, Vembu says, “We will have an update in a couple of days. The full backup will be launched in two to four weeks.”
However, the co-founder took the opportunity to warn Arattai’s existing user base about the drawbacks of encrypted chat backups. “It will take us some time. So tomorrow or the day after, in a couple of days, we’ll have an update. Then, in another two weeks, we will have an update because one thing about end-to-end encryption is that you have to have a backup. Otherwise, if you reinstall the app, you will lose all your chats.”
“We are actually working on the backup. In the cloud version, the backup was stored on the server automatically. Now, in this device’s encrypted version, you have to choose a backup… You have to have the original device key. It’s a technically complex thing to solve. We are going to launch it with the idea that you can use it, but the backup will land in maybe two, three, or four weeks,” he added.
Zoho claims all user data stored locally
Zoho’s website proudly states that all user data is stored securely in Indian servers, with conversations and titles encrypted at rest. Unlike Meta’s WhatsApp, which recently rolled out ads in Status updates and plans to use Meta AI chats for personalised advertising, Arattai commits to zero data monetization or intrusive ads. The company is urging consumers to trust its claims as it works behind the scenes to bring the latest security advancements to the country’s homegrown messenger app.
